The injury-blighted Netherlands A tour to Guernsey this weekend saw the two sides share honours across two 50-over matches, with Guernsey winning the first by 77 runs before the Dutch came back to seal a 40 run victory in the second.

The Dutch won the toss and invited their hosts to bat first in chilly conditions on Saturday morning, but after Viv Kingma and Hidde Overdijk accounted for the openers Guernesey Number 3 Oliver Newey wrested the momentum back for the hosts.

Newey made 64 from 83 balls before being caught behind off Fred Klaasen. Ben Ferbrache provided support with a well constructed 46, and David Hooper made the same score in quick time down the order.

The second highest contribution to Guernsey's eventual total of 253 came from extras however, with no less than 55 conceded by the Dutch. With first-choice keeper Ratha Alphonse out with a dislocated finger - the first of three injuries on the tour - the total of 32 byes and leg byes was perhaps understandable, but with another 23 runs coming in wides an no balls the Dutch attack had effectively added an extra 25% to the hosts total.

Nor was the day to improve for the Netherlands with bat in hand. Newey accounted for openers Dirk van Baren and Hidde overdijk early, and despite Saqib Zulfiqar's defiant 59 wickets continued to fall regularly.
Luke Nussbaumer took 3-32 to break the middle order, including the key wicket of Saqib Zulfiqar, whilst a hamstring injury removed brother SIkander, retired hurt and out of the tour. Matthew Ellis then cleaned up the tail, taking 3-15 and Guernsey sealed a comfortable 77 run win.

Jason Martin's loan to the visitors as a replacement keeper for Sunday's game proved instrumental before he'd even donned the gloves, a counterattacking 48 from number 7 swinging the game back in the Dutch's favour. Pieter Seelaar's assured 79 stood in contrast to the rest of the top five, who managed only 19 runs between them.

An unbeaten 28 from number 8 Quirijn Gunning was the only other contribution of note as the Netherlands posted 217, David Hooper's 3-35 the pick of the Guernsey bowling.

Martin also took two catches in the Guernsey reply as well as keeping the extras down - not conceding a single bye - and the Dutch spinners did the rest. Seelaar and Leon Turmaine bagged three wickets apiece for 35 and 30 runs respectively, Mahesh Hans chipping in with 2-20 as Guernsey were bowled out for 177.

The win will be little consolation for the Dutch however, with Fred Klaasen becoming the third member of the touring party to fall victim to injury, badly breaking a finger two balls into his first over - an injury that will likely see VRA's new acquisition sidelined for several weeks.